Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-01-13
DEATH ON THE RAIL.
Two Shocking Railway Accidents
in One Day.
Nineteen Persons Killed and Many More
Injured on the Baltimore s. Ohio, and
One Killed and Several Injured
at Mittine&nquaS Mass.

make the grade. The conductor ran Tor
ward with a signal to flag the fast train,
No. 5, but it was too late, the train was
less than quarter OF mile distant, run
ming at the rate Of siXty-three miles per
hour. and it crashed into the freight,
wrecking both engines and the baggage,
express, smoking aTad one passenger car
of the passenger train.
Within an almost incredible short space
of time the wreck was in flames and the
injured passengers were beng burned.
The passengers in the Swo sleeperS and
one coach escaped, nun bering about fifty.
Nineteen passengers in the smoker were
all killed. One Irish emigrant alone es-
capped from the smoker, but afterwards
died of his wounds. He did not give his
name.
The engineer of the passenger jumped
and escaped with a dislocated knee. Tue
fireman was pinned between the beams,
crushing his hips. He lived three hours
in that position and then died Nine
charred and blackened bodies with the
limbs burned away were removed and laid
on the floor of the undertaker's room. The
sight was horrible one, and there was no
resemblance to human bodies in the re-
mains AT least ten more are supposed to
have persisted and been entirely burned
up. There is nothing but the bodies W hicb
can help to identify them.
Among those identified are:
Jos. Postlewaite aged fifty-sevcn years,
and his two sons. Spencer and Henry, aged
eighteen and eleven respectively. He
was from New Martinsvi1le,' W. Va, and
was accompanied by his wife and three
other small children, the -four latter being
saved They We're on their way 90
Chillicothe, Ne, 20 make chat their home.
G. z. Bradley, of One Hundred and
Twelfth street, d. &c prominent Knight
of Labor, on his way west to lecture, was
held by the feet in the car, his body pro
Air1cr fI,n1 Il INN
sible to extricate him and he burned TO
death by inches lie gave his watch and
papers into the safe keeping of others.
A Mo Smith, of BenWoods W. Vac was
in the car next to Che smoker, and was I'M
CURT. He says the shock was noS very
great one. He was thrown from his seat
and thought the train had left the track.
Nobody was very seriously hurt IN his
coach beyond bruises, cuts and burns.
Physicians were summoned, from this
6jty and Republic, and rendered efficient
service to the wounded. About a dozen
persons were wounded, in addition to
those killed, not mentioned above
Prominent railway officials were pres
Ont investigating Che matter. 1t is impos
sibtebo tell now Gpho was 60 blame, but il
is learned thaG the engineer, fireman and
the whole crew of the freight train were
drunk and neglectful of duty. The coro-
ner of the county will make full investi-
out of the couney as quickly as possible by
the railroad officials.
The accdenG is charged 90 the conductor |
and Engineer of the freight train. They |
pulled out Of Republic when they should
have remained.there. They claimed they
had thirty-five minutes TO make the run
gf four miles and a quarter, which re-
quired only eighteen minutes.
9uE Aa1TTINEAUQUE DISASTER.
SPRaNGFIELDs Mass.s Jan. A.-Mittin-
@SauQue station was the scene of o fright |
full accident early CHS morning. The Mo-
doc train from Albany approached the de-
pot one hour behind Gime and running
about thirty-five miles an hour and when
within a few rods of the station five of the
six cars left the crack from some cause
not definitely learned, but thought 20 be a
broken journal Ehe Grain consisted of
Engine No. 9, express, baggage, smoking
cars, one day Goach and two sleeperS. The
engine and express car kept on the main
crack and the baggage car was
9hrown against the engine of the local
west-bonnd freight, which had just pulled
in and was standing on the west-bound
main track. The freighS engine was
thrown its side and completely
, Iyrecked. The baggage and smoker and
GAne day coach Immediately took fire and
were consumed, except che bodies and
9rucks She head of the arst sleeping car
was charred, but not otherwise damaged.
2IsT OF THE INJURED.
Charles b. Packard, Wcstfeld, printer,
son of DR.. Packard, os Westfield; injured
in loiu and other severe internal injuries;
also bad scalp wound. st is feared he will
not recover.
States Life Saving station at Campbell |
near San Francisco, cue and burned about
the hip and legs.
John Landers, Wes7 Springfield, fireman
of ehe local freight; badly gashed about
the head and face.
Mr. and Mrs. E S. Whitford, Providence, |
r. l.; thrown from seat and bruised. Mr. '
Whitford was badly cut under the lower |
jaw. q
Lester L. Worden, Springfield; cut on |
leg.
C. II. Clark, colored. Windsor Locks. |
Conn.,; thrown outof window and left leg |
cut and bruised.
Mrs. j. NJ. jerks and daughter Mrs. F. |
NJ. Ct@ndler, of Troy, Y. V, on their way |
to Ludlow with the body of Mr.. jerks; |
Mrs. jerks slightly sprained her ankle !
q The body of Mr.. jerks was burned.
T. Dwyer and Emeline Dwyer, with their I
adopted daughter, Miss Mary Sekerino, of
Honolulu, Hawaiian islands. Miss Seke
rino had her face slightly cut |
The through New York and Chicag 60 |
mail was on this train, and the mail for all |
New England. There were five pouches |
of this mail, and al were destroyed. All |
the Westfield and Pittsfield mail, and the |
Albany letter mail were destroyed, max |
ing fourteen letter pouches that were |
burned. There were about eighty sacks of |
newspaper mail on the train, and all but !
seven of those sacks were burned.
Q Two More Wrecks.
@ELMIRA, N ", Jan. Sat four O'Clock
yesterday morning the west bound Erie
express tTain, No. IL, came INTO collision
with an engine, upon (which were seven
mon, in the Southport yard in this city